Washing apparatus



June 5. 1928.

M. F. KETTLER 'WASHING APPARATUS Filed July 15. 1926 Patented June 5,1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN FQKETTLER, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, ASSIGNOR- TO MYSTTC WASHER COM-PANY, INCL, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

wasnma APPARATUS.

Application filed July .15,

This invention relates to improvements in washing apparatus of the typecomprising a container for the articles or materials to be washed, awater trap in the bottomof the container, a water column extending up;

wardly from the trap, and, a sprayer head at the upper end ofthesaidwater column,

and the invention has as its primary'object to provide a novel andhighly efficient J0 sprayer head in an apparatus of'this type designedto effect a more thorough washing of the articles or materials thanwhere the sprayer heads of the ordinary type are employed.

Ordinarily, in washing apparatus of the type referred to above, adeflecting means is provided at the upper end of the Water column forthe purpose of deflecting the water delivered from said end of the watercolumn in a downward direction and onto the clothes which are arrangedwithin the corn tainer of the apparatus butsuch devices are generallyunsatisfactory for the reason that the overflow of the water is notforceful and, in fact, too gentle to cause the discharged water tostrikethe articles or materials with sufficient force to effect a cleansingthereof by loosening the dirt. There fore, the present invention has asone of its objects to provide a sprayer: head, in an apparatus of thetype referred to, which will be so constructed asto effect the deliveryof an unbroken sheet spray onto the articles or materials within thecontainer in a forceful manner so that the efficiency of the ap paratusis greatly improved. q

Another object of the invention is to provide a sprayer head soconstructed that the water will be compressed within the head orsuddenly confined as it regurgitates in the water column and be causedto issue in a forceful spray extending in all directions outwardly anddownwardly from the spray er head and onto the articles or materialscontained in the apparatus.

Another object of the invention isto provide a sprayer head soconstructed that the same may be taken apart and any accumulationsremoved therefrom should occasion require, although the head is soconstructed that it is extremely unlikely that it will become clogged.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken centrally through a washingapparatus of 1926. Serial No. 122,686.

the type referred to above and illustrating the sprayer head embodyingtheinvention.

within the bottom of the container 1 and having an upwardly tapered neckindicated by the numeral 3, to which is fitted the lower end of thewater column, which is indicated by the numeral 4 and which column is,as usual, taperedin the direction of its upper end. The upper end ofthewater column is located centrally slightly above the open upper end ofthe body of the container and water isdelivered therefrom beneath thetop or lid 5 of the container through regurgitation in the boiling ofthe. water, the lower peripheral portion of the trap 2 having. aplurality of water inlet openings or recesses 6 therein through whichwater may enterthe trap.- The trap is, as usual, provided with severalnotches 7 in its said peripheral portion, which provide for passage ofthe trap downwardly past retaining ribs 8 which are arranged in a seriesabout the wall of the container im mediately above the bottom, so thatwhen thetrap is disposed in place and partly rotated, an imperforateportion of its periphery will engage beneath the lower end ofthe saidribs and the said trap will thus be restrained against any upwarddisplacement so that the boiling of the water in the trap will result inintermittent forceful upward fiow orregurgitation of the water in thewater column 4. A perforated false bottom 9 is disposed at its peripheryupon the upper ends of the ribs 8 andhas a central opening 10accommodating the neck 3 of the trap, the clothes to be washed being, ofcourse, disposed within the container upon this perforated false bottom.

The sprayer hea'd embod ing the invention is indicated in general by thenumeral 11 and the same comprises a deflector 12 and baffle 13. Thedeflector 12 is formed from sheet metal and comprises a circular bodyshaped to provide a central depressed portion 14 and an annular portion15 surrounding the same and of the concavo-convex form shown inend ofthe water column, the'wall of the water column at its said end will belocatedbelow and nearly midway between the inner and outer peripheriesof the said portion 15. The numeral 16 indicates a cross piece which isarranged within the upper end of the water column and has a threadedopening 17 accommodating the shank of a screw 18 which is fitted throughan opening 19 formed in the depressed portion 14 of the deflector 12, awasher 20 being preferably interposed between the upper side of thecross piece or spider 16 and the under side of the said depressedportion of the deflector. In this manner, the deflector is removablysecured in place and it will be evident that it may be removed for thepurpose of cleansing its concave side in the event of accumulation ofdirt thereon, although the force of the water rising in the column andstriking this surface will ordinarily keep the same free from suchaccumulation.

The battle 13 is likewise formed of sheet metal and is disposed belowthe deflector and comprises a neck 21 which is of tapered form andfitted, preferably frictionally, upon the upper end of the water column4. The deflector further comprises an annular outstanding downwardlysloped body 22 extending about the upper end of the neck 21 and of adiameter slightly greater than the diameter of the deflector 15. It willbe observed by reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, that theouter edge of the portion 15 of the deflector is located above andrelatively close to the upper surface of the body 22 of the baflle atthe outer portion of the said body, so that there is provided acontinuous annular water discharge space 23 between the deflector andthe bafile. It will also be evident by reference to. the drawings, thatdue to the relative disposition of the deflector and bafile and the arcof curvature of the portion 15 of the deflector, the space between theconcave or. under side. of

the deflector and the upper side of the body 22 of the baflle is ofgradually diminishing height in the direction of the peripheries ofthese members or, in other words, in the direction of the water outletspace 23. It will now be evident that as the Water surges upwardly inthe Water column 4, being at a boiling temperature and impelled by thesteam generated in the apparatus, it will be suddenly confined as itstrikes the under side of the portion 15 of the deflector and enters thes cc between the said deflector and the ha and, as a consequence, itwill be delivered in a thin sheet-like film or spray through thewaterspace- 23 and directed outwardly and downwardly onto the articlesor materials within the container. In wash ing apparatus of this generaltype it is found that the water alternately rises and recedes in thewater column and, therefore, the spray delivered b the sprayer embodyingthe invention will: at the moment of upward surging of the water in thecolumn, spread out so as to reach to the walls of the container and,upon receding of the water, the spray will likewise recede and with butaslight diminution of its force, thus reaching the articles or materialsnearer the water column.

It will be observed from an inspection of Figure 2, that the thicknessof the washer 20 determines the spacing of the periphery of thedeflector 11 from the surface of the bafile 13 so that by employingwashers of difl'erent thicknesses, this spacing may be varied tocorrespondingly vary the proportions of the film of water dischargedfrom the sprayer head.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

In a sprayer head of the class described, thecombination with a watercolumn, of a spider within the upper end of the column having a threadedopeni a baflle mounted upon the upper end of t column and extendingcircumferentially about the same, a deflector having a depressed centralportion and an annular portion having a concave under side presented tothe up r side of the baflie and peripherally s ce therefrom, a screwfitted through the pressed ortion of the deflector and threaded into t esaid opening, and a washer upon the said screw between the saiddepressed portion of the deflector and the said spider.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MARTIN F. KETTLER. [11s.]

